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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: fall · cap · rash · trunk · bank · pop · calf · capital

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. cap — a hat
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. pop — music
  5. rash — a series
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. cap — of ice
  8. bank — for money
  9. rash — hasty
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. bank — of a river
  13. capital — money
  14. pop — soda
  15. pop — to visit
  16. capital — a city
  17. fall — to drop
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. bank — for money
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. cap — a lid
  23. fall — the season
  24. fall — to drop

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com